I have been working at Vanderbilt University Medical Center full-time (more than 10 years)

Pros

Benefits are good (but they used to be a lot better). If you have a good manager, then you are blessed and you will likely want to stay at VUMC for many years. On the whole, doctors, residents, NPs and nurses and support staff have the best working relationships I have ever experienced in my long career.

Cons

The culture has changed drastically in the last 5 years. The recent cutbacks were brutal and this affected culture and morale widely. So many bedside nurses left over the last 12-15 months that VUMC now has a nursing shortage. Some units close beds to admissions because they don't have the necessary staff. So now, staffing incentives are being offered to current staff to pick up additional shifts.

Advice to ManagementAdvice

Clearly the cutbacks were too severe and pushed many nurses and clinical staff to leave for other opportunities. Those policy changes to our accrued vacation time were poorly conceived and executed that many nurses chose to vote with their feet. Staff accrued vacation time (at full pay rate...or so we thought) through many years of sacrifice and should have been paid for it in full pay...not 50 cents on the dollar. There are clinical staff who have been at VUMC for many years with hundreds of hours of vacation time banked. Unable to take all their time by the end of the fiscal year, they are forced to sell back their accrued vacation at 50 cents on the dollar or lose it forever. It is one thing for staff not to get raises for years but to claw-back what we have already earned is clearly too much for many staff to bear.

I worked at Vanderbilt University Medical Center full-time (more than a year)

Pros

great learning experience for nurses. great doctors and state of the art equipment

Cons

Employees are over worked and under paid. Especially after the monumental cuts made recently. PTO was put on hold for months. Raises were also put on hold. People are walking around wondering who will be next. It was very tense.

I have been working at Vanderbilt University Medical Center full-time (less than a year)

Pros

I used to work in the ED and left for several years--now working as a surgical tech. Have always found the doctors to be incredibly respectful and collaborative with the rest of the staff, which fosters excellent learning opportunities on a regular basis.

Cons

Management decision making very frenetic. Lays off staff one month, offers bonuses to recruit staff back 6 months later when there's a staffing crisis.

Advice to ManagementAdvice

Start focus groups with staff to better clearly see day to day running of the hospital and get ideas from your talent to help meet financial goals.

I have been working at Vanderbilt University Medical Center full-time (more than 3 years)

Pros

Collaborative atmosphere makes for great research environment. Great support for young researchers. Good benefits including health, subsidized daycare. Location is very convenient as well. Excellent IT division for clinical medicine

Cons

Salaries aren't on high end considering Nashville isn't a cheap city anymore. Higher out of pocket healthcare costs than other places I've heard of; cost ~$2500 for labor and delivery charges for recent pregnancy at local hospital.

Glassdoor has 225 Vanderbilt University Medical Center reviews submitted anonymously by Vanderbilt University Medical Center employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Vanderbilt University Medical Center is right for you.